Daniel 2:17-30 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Daniel 2:17-30. Let’s go!
Daniel 2:17-18 (NIV)
17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
On verses 17-18: Clearly Daniel was not depending on his own strength and wisdom to overcome this dilemma. He was looking to God, and to help him do that, he urges his friends to pray to God for help.
There have been many times when the prayer support of others has made such a miraculous, tangible difference in my life and ministry. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask people to pray alongside you when you’re facing an especially difficult and pressure-filled situation.
Daniel 2:19a (NIV)
19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision…
On verse 19a: How did Daniel know that God had revealed Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to him? I believe Daniel just knew. There was likely a peace and a confidence in his heart that what he received in a vision from God was exactly what he was looking for. He may have received affirming or confirming words from his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah as well. Amazing, supernatural things can happen when you take the time to humbly seek God’s face and listen for His voice.
Daniel 2:19b-23 (NIV)
19…Then Daniel praised the God of heaven
20 and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
On verses 19b-23: Daniel praises God for revealing the king’s dream to him. God is not only in the business of revealing the dreams of others to His people. Even more, I believe God is in the business of revealing His dreams – the dreams of the King – to you and me, if only we’d have a soft and open heart toward Him. First and foremost, God reveals His will to us through His Word, the Scriptures. If you want to know God’s will, you need to read God’s Word. It’s not a coincidence that in law when you write your will, it’s called your last will and testament. The Bible, consisting of the Old Testament and the New Testament, contains God’s will for you and me.
Second, God reveals His will through His Holy Spirit. For example, I believe there have been times in my life when God has supernaturally revealed His will, whether in the form of an actual dream when I am sleeping, or in a vision when I am awake and seeking Him, or in a word spoken to my heart. When it’s the Holy Spirit speaking, it will always be consistent with God’s written word and ultimately points us to deeper trust in and love for Jesus.
Daniel 2:24-30 (NIV)
24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”
25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”
26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”
27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,
28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these:
29 “As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen.
30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.
On verses 24-30: As Daniel gets ready to reveal King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he prefaces it with some words to help King Nebuchadnezzar understand where Daniel is coming from. Daniel’s words here teach us some important things about the purpose of prophecy. (The definition I am using here for prophecy is: communicating information that is supernaturally revealed by God to one person for another person.)
First, the point of prophecy is not to make much of people but to make much of God. That’s why Daniel says that it’s not because he has greater wisdom than other people, but because God, the revealer of mysteries, is at work (v27-30). Since it is God who reveals the mystery, those who deliver a prophetic word must do so with utmost humility, in no way elevating themselves above others. That’s why I am weary and often skeptical of those who preface what they believe is a prophetic word by saying something like “Thus saith the Lord”. We need to have greater humility and discernment than that, recognizing that even words which we strongly believe are from God for someone else are subject to testing.
Second, the point of prophecy is to encourage and help the person receiving the prophecy. As Daniel says in verse 30, God revealed this mystery to Daniel “so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.” Prophecy, as with other spiritual gifts, is meant to strengthen and encourage (1 Corinthians 14:26, 31).
Third, God uses prophecy is to lead unbelievers to Jesus. Nebuchadnezzar was accustomed to worshiping idols instead of the one true God. God was going to use Daniel and this prophetic word to lead Nebuchadnezzar to Himself. It reminds me of what Paul says about how prophecy can lead an unbeliever to God:
1 Corinthians 14:24-25 (NIV)
24 But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all,
25 and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
Father, thank You for being One who reveals dreams, in particular Your dreams for us. Thank You that You use the gift of prophecy to strengthen and encourage people and to lead them to Jesus. I pray that my church would have the right heart, attitude and approach to things like prophecy, so that Your church can be strengthened and people can be encouraged and led to Jesus. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
